Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,161,747 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
EnglishItalianoPolskiעבריתFrançaisPortuguêsفارسیEspañol中文РусскийDeutschالعربيةहिन्दी日本語ΕλληνικάLatinaNederlands
God
LoveFriendshipHappinessHopeFearCourageDeathLifeTimeWarPeaceFreedomTruthWisdomKnowledgeScienceArtMusicNatureMoneyWorkPowerGodBeautyLaughterFamilySuccess and failureChangeDreamsBooks and reading
“Beholding heaven, and feeling hell.”
Thomas Moore (1779–1852) said by 1852 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Alas! how light a cause may move Dissension between hearts that love! Hearts that the world in vain had tried, And sorrow but more closely tied; That stood the storm when waves were rough, Yet in a sunny hour fall off, Like ships that have gone down at sea When heaven was all tranquillity.”
Thomas Moore (1779–1852) said by 1852 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thus, when the lamp that lighted The traveller at first goes out, He feels awhile benighted, And looks around in fear and doubt. But soon, the prospect clearing, By cloudless starlight on he treads, And thinks no lamp so cheering As that light which Heaven sheds.”
Thomas Moore (1779–1852) said by 1852 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This world is all a fleeting show, For man's illusion given; The smiles of joy, the tears of woe, Deceitful shine, deceitful flow,— There's nothing true but Heaven.”
Thomas Moore (1779–1852) said by 1852 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.”
Thomas Moore (1779–1852) said by 1852 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Beneath our feet and o'er our head Is equal warning given: Beneath us lie the countless dead, Above us is the heaven! Death rides on every passing breeze, And lurks in every flower; Each season has its own disease, Its peril every hour.”
Reginald Heber (1783–1826) said by 1826 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: At a Funeral", No. I (1827)
“I remember, I remember The fir-trees dark and high; I used to think their slender tops Were close against the sky: It was a childish ignorance, But now 'tis little joy To know I'm farther off from Heaven Than when I was a boy.”
Thomas Hood (1799–1845) said by 1845 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Oh bed! oh bed! delicious bed! That heaven upon earth to the weary head.”
Thomas Hood (1799–1845) said by 1845 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As with other peoples who had focused their lives upon wrongs in the past and heaven in the future, Voorstod made an everlasting hell of the present.”
Sheri S. Tepper (1929–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Oh, yes,” murmured Nela. “The only excuse we had for overpopulating our world was that it wouldn’t matter in heaven.” She tried to laugh but couldn’t manage it. The laugh turned into a sob.”
Sheri S. Tepper (1929–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Long ago, the people of the world cried out for help. In the reaches of heaven their cry was heard, and a Visitor came in answer to it. The Visitor began helping immediately, but secretly. Now the visitor intends to be known to the people of the world and the people of the world must deal with that knowledge.”
Sheri S. Tepper (1929–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When you write the story of two happy lovers, place them on the shores of Lake Como. I do not know a district more manifestly blessed by heaven; I've never seen another where the charms of a life of love would seem more natural [...] and start it with these words: "On the shores of Lake Como.”
Franz Liszt (1811–1886) first seen 1837 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted From the letter to Louis de Ronchaud dated 20 September 1837
“A student under my care owes his first allegiance to himself and not to my specialty; and must not be burdened with my work as if he followed no other and had contracted no obligation under heaven but that of satisfying my requirements.”
Jacques Barzun (1907–2012) first seen 1951 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Loyalty Oath for Scholars", The American Scholar (Summer 1951)
“To die before being painted by Sargent is to go to Heaven prematurely.”
Saki (1870–1916) said by 1916 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When panting sighs the bosom fill, And hands by chance united thrill At once with one delicious pain The pulses and the nerves of twain; When eyes that erst could meet with ease, Do seek, yet, seeking, shyly shun Ecstatic conscious unison,— The sure beginnings, say, be these Prelusive to the strain of love Which angels sing in heaven above?”
Arthur Hugh Clough (1819–1861) first seen 1844 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Love and Reason, st. 1 (1844)
“Seek on earth what you have found in heaven.”
George William Russell (1867–1935) said by 1935 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The Unpractised Heart (1942) by Leonard Alfred George Strong, p. 147
“Whatever time thy golden eyelids ope They travel to a hope; Not only backward from these low degrees To starry dynasties, But, looking far where now the silence owns And rules from empty thrones, Thou seest the enchanted halls of heaven burn For joy at our return.”
George William Russell (1867–1935) said by 1935 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The tower of heaven turns darker blue; a starry sparkle now begins; The mystery and magnificence, the myriad beauty and the sins Come back to me.”
George William Russell (1867–1935) said by 1935 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Canst thou not see adown the silver cloudland streaming Rivers of faery light, dewdrop on dewdrop falling, Starfire of silver flames, lighting the dark beneath? And what enraptured hosts burn on the dusky heath! Come thou away with them, for Heaven to Earth is calling.”
George William Russell (1867–1935) said by 1935 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sacred thy laughter on the air, Holy thy lightest word that fell, Proud the innumerable hair That waved at the enchanter's spell. Oh Master of the Beautiful, Creating us from hour to hour, Give me this vision to the full To see in lightest things thy power! This vision give, no heaven afar, No throne, and yet I will rejoice, Knowing beneath my feet a star, Thy word in every wandering voice.”
George William Russell (1867–1935) said by 1935 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The conception of yourselves as altogether virtuous and wronged is, I assure you, not at all the one which onlookers hold of you. No doubt, you have rights on your side. No doubt, some of you suffered without just cause. But nothing which has been done to you cries aloud to Heaven for condemnation as your own actions.”
George William Russell (1867–1935) said by 1935 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The child is not mine as the first was, I cannot sing it to rest, I cannot lift it up fatherly And bliss it upon my breast; Yet it lies in my little one's cradle And sits in my little one's chair, And the light of the heaven she's gone to Transfigures its golden hair.”
James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) first seen 1879 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Changeling, st. 7 (1879)
“Not only around our infancy Doth heaven with all its splendors lie; Daily, with souls that cringe and plot, We Sinais climb and know it not.”
James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) said by 1891 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days; Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune, And over it softly her warm ear lays: Whether we look, or whether we listen, We hear life murmur, or see it glisten; Every clod feels a stir of might, An instinct within it that reaches and towers, And, grasping blindly above it for light, Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers.”
James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) said by 1891 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Religion is the dream of the human mind. But even in dreams we do not find ourselves in emptiness or in heaven, but on earth, in the realm of reality; we only see real things in the entrancing splendor of imagination and caprice, instead of in the simple daylight of reality and necessity.”
Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach (1804–1872) first seen 1843 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Preface to Second Edition (1843)
“Rapt, twirling in thy hand a wither'd spray, And waiting for the spark from heaven to fall.”
Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) said by 1888 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For a cloud Grew suddenly in Heaven, and darked the sun.”
Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) said by 1888 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For singing till his heaven fills, 'Tis love of earth that he instils, And ever winging up and up, Our valley is his golden cup, And he the wine which overflows To lift us with him as he goes.”
George Meredith (1828–1909) first seen 1881 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Lark Ascending, l. 65-70 (1881)
“The blessed damozel lean'd out From the gold bar of Heaven; Her eyes were deeper than the depth Of waters still'd at even; She had three lilies in her hand, And the stars in her hair were seven.”
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) first seen 1850 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Cf. the original (1850 version):
“From the fix'd place of Heaven she saw Time like a pulse shake fierce Through all the worlds. Her gaze still strove Within the gulf to pierce Its path; and now she spoke as when The stars sang in their spheres.”
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) said by 1882 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Once a man’s will is set, he need no longer rely on others or expect anything from the world. His vision encompasses Heaven and earth, past and present, and the tranquility of his heart is undisturbed.”
Yoshida Shoin (1830–1859) said by 1859 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Scatter the clouds that hide The face of heaven, and show Where sweet peace doth abide, Where Truth and Beauty grow.”
Robert Bridges (1844–1930) said by 1930 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And, in heaven's name, who are the public enemies?...In your day governments were accustomed, on the slightest international misunderstanding, to seize upon the bodies of citizens and deliver them over by hundreds of thousands to death and mutilation, wasting their treasures the while like water; and all this oftenest for no imaginable profit to the victims.”
Edward Bellamy (1850–1898) said by 1898 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Look for me in the nurseries of Heaven.”
Francis Thompson (1859–1907) said by 1907 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Upon thy so sore loss Shall shine the traffic of Jacob’s ladder Pitched betwixt Heaven and Charing Cross.”
Francis Thompson (1859–1907) said by 1907 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When reflecting upon it today, that the Pearl Harbor attack should have succeeded in achieving surprise seems a blessing from Heaven. It was clear that a great American fleet had been concentrated in Pearl Harbor, and we supposed that the state of alert would be very high.”
Hideki Tōjō (1884–1948) said by 1948 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Why, if the Soul can fling the Dust aside, And naked on the Air of Heaven ride, Were't not a Shame — were't not a Shame for him In this clay carcase crippled to abide?”
Omar Khayyám (1048–1131) said by 1131 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: XLIV (1889)
“We come and go, but for the gain, where is it? And spin life’s woof, but for the warp, where is it? And many a righteous man has burned to dust In heaven’s blue rondure, but their smoke where is it?”
Omar Khayyám (1048–1131) said by 1131 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Since no one can assure thee of the morrow Rejoice thy heart to-day and banish sorrow With moon-bright wine, fair moon! the moon in heaven Will look for us in vain on many a morrow.”
Omar Khayyám (1048–1131) said by 1131 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Women like this never pressed charges. The prospect of making their way alone seemed to them impossible. They were convinced that by accepting systematic, really merciless abuse, they were serving Allah and earning a place in Heaven. They always went back to their husband.”
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am Love: in heaven and earth I have no place; I am the Wondrous Phoenix whose spoor cannot be traced.”
Fakhruddin 'Iraqi (1213–1289) said by 1289 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Love the phoenix cannot be trapped nor in heaven or earth can it be named; no one has yet discovered its address: its desert holds not a single footprint.”
Fakhruddin 'Iraqi (1213–1289) said by 1289 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All the things of this world are no more than earth. Place them in a heap under your feet and you will be so much the nearer to heaven.”
Josemaría Escrivá (1902–1975) said by 1975 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am every day more convinced that happiness in Heaven is for those who know how to be happy on earth.”
Josemaría Escrivá (1902–1975) first seen 1005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: #1005
“Hell is gone and heaven's here, there’s nothing left for you to fear.”
Robbie Williams (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A choir of angels glorified the hour, the vault of heaven was dissolved in fire. "Father, why hast Thou forsaken me? Mother, I beg you, do not weep for me...”
Anna Akhmatova (1889–1966) said by 1966 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Translated by Tanya Karshtedt (1996)
“When you talk about Fred Astaire, you talk about heaven. What more can I say?”
Fred Astaire (1899–1987) first seen 1974 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Johnny Green to Mike Steen in Steen, Mike. Hollywood Speaks! An Oral History, G.P. Putnam's, New York, 1974.
“Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”
William Tyndale (1494–1536) said by 1536 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Willie Mays is the greatest ball player I've ever seen. I never saw Joe DiMaggio play, but if Joe DiMaggio was better than Willie Mays, he belongs in Heaven.”
Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) first seen 1972 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "For Clemente After 3,000ː Saturday Cheers Linger" by Charley Feeney, in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Monday, October 2, 1972), p. 24
“I have seen the world enough I've drowned in my thoughts alot I canceled heaven I concede”
John Frusciante (born 1970) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source